Anak Agung Gde Rai

Full Name: Anak Agung Gde Rai
Pen Name: Agung Rai
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Link to Photograph: https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anak Agung Gde Rai
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Biography

In English

Anak Agung Gde Rai or usually called as Agung Rai, born in Peliatan, Ubud, on July 17th, 1955. He is a humanist (cultural practitioner) and an artist who has big role in preserving and promoting arts of Indonesia, particularly Bali. He is the founder of ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art). The poverty during his childhood motivated him to change their family life to make it better by continuously work hard. When he was young, he has ever become “merchant” of artistic goods for tourists in Bali.

Agung Rai has a dream to become a teacher, but he has to burry it since cant afford the tuition. Then, he learned to paint. But, he realized his skill is yet sufficient as painter. Otherwise, he took a course of English and became a tour guid. From his interaction with the tourists, he got sense of business to try as seller of artistics goods made by his neighbors in his hometown. Since then, he is becoming a merchant in arround Sanur, Kuta until Padangbai. As a merchant, his sense of business and arts was developed. Then he mad friend with many arts collectors. He followed his friend to be a collector of maestro’s artwork. From a collector, he became a currator for artwork exhibition. Such as, in 1989, Agung Rai went to Japan and took a hundred of artworks from fifty painters that joined a group of Sanggar Seniman Agung Rai (Agung Rai Artists Group). This paintings then was shown in Japan for two months.

Anxiety and worry for his country’s cultural preservation mainly in field of arts make him obssessed to establish a museum and arts galery. Then, with wonderful effort of him, in June 9th 1996, ARMA Museum officially opened by Prof. Dr. Ing. Wardiman Djojonegoro while at that time have position as Minister of Education and Culture. ARMA is one of museums with most complete collection in Indonesia. From classical artwork until contemporary, even artwork of local artist and other countries. Moreover, ARMA periodically held an exhibition of artworks.

The popularity of ARMA is masively increasing since it often held various cultural event such as music performance, theatre, providing bookroom with various collection for visitors, held seminar of culture and art. Events in ARMA mostly in international scale and often were hold by various artworkers and culture from many countries. With various arrangement of these kind of event, ARMA achieved predicate as most popular museum and the best museum in Indonesia based on tourist as how it was compiled by world travelling site, TripAdvisor. For his effort to preserve arts, Agung Rai was awarded many awards. Such as, in 2002 he was awarded by Indonesia Government as “The pioneer in advancing the fine arts”. In 2012 he was chosen as Chief of Himusba (Himpunan Museum Bali) 2012-2017. In 2016 “TripAdvisor” awarded ARMA as the best museum in Indonesia. The choice was determined by the tourists who has visited the various museums in Indonesia.

The Books of Agung Rai and ARMA can be read in “Gung Rai, Kisah Sebuah Museum // Gung Rai, A Story of Museum” (KPG, 2013), “Saraswati in Bali: A Temple, A Museum and A Mas” (BAB Publishing Indoneisa, 2015”, “Agung Rai, Sang Mumpuni // Agung Rai, The Maestro” (Lestari Kiranatama, 2017).

In Balinese

In Indonesian

Anak Agung Gde Rai atau biasa dipanggil Agung Rai, lahir di Peliatan, Ubud, 17 Juli 1955. Dia adalah budayawan dan tokoh seni yang berjasa besar melestarikan dan mempromosikan karya-karya seni Indonesia (khususnya Bali). Dia adalah pendiri ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art). Kemiskinan di masa kanak memotivasi Agung Rai untuk mengubah kehidupan keluarganya menjadi lebih baik dengan terus menerus bekerja keras. Ketika masih muda, dia pernah menjadi “pedagang acung” (pedagang asongan) benda-benda seni untuk turis yang berkunjung ke Bali.

Agung Rai bercita-cita menjadi guru, namun kandas karena tidak ada biaya sekolah. Kemudian dia belajar melukis. Namun dia menyadari bakatnya tak cukup sebagai pelukis. Akhirnya dia kursus bahasa Inggris dan menjadi pemandu wisata. Dari interaksinya dengan para turis, naluri bisnisnya muncul untuk mencoba peruntungan sebagai penjual benda-benda seni yang dibikin orang-orang di kampungnya. Sejak itulah dia menjadi pedagang acung di wilayah Sanur, Kuta, hingga Padangbai. Sebagai pedagang acung, naluri bisnis dan seninya terus berkembang. Dia kemudian bergaul dengan banyak kolektor seni. Dan, pada akhirnya dia pun ikut menjadi kolektor seni karya para maestro. Dari kolektor dia menjadi kurator pameran benda-benda seni. Misalnya, tahun 1989, Agung Rai berangkat ke Jepang memboyong seratus lukisan karya lima puluh pelukis yang tergabung dalam Sanggar Seniman Agung Rai. Lukisan-lukisan itu dipamerkan di Jepang selama dua bulan.

Rasa cemas dan kahwatir akan kelesatarian budaya negerinya terutama di bidang kesenian membuat Agung Rai terobsesi mendirikan museum dan galeri seni. Maka, dengan perjuangan sangat luar biasa, pada tanggal 9 Juni 1996, ARMA Museum diresmikan oleh Prof. Dr. Ing. Wardiman Djojonegoro yang saat itu menjabat sebagai Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. ARMA merupakan salah satu museum dengan koleksi terlengkap di Indonesia. Mulai dari lukisan-lukisan klasik hingga kontemporer, baik karya seniman lokal maupun manca negara. Selain itu, ARMA juga secara berkali menggelar pameran seni rupa.

Popularitas ARMA melejit cepat karena juga sering menghelat berbagai kegiatan seni budaya seperti pertunjukan musik, teater, menyediakan ruang baca dengan koleksi aneka buku bagi para pengunjung, menyelenggarakan seminar tentang budaya dan seni. Kegiatan-kegiatan di ARMA sebagian besar berskala internasional dan tak jarang diselenggarakan dengan berbagai pekerja seni dan budaya dari berbagai negara. Dengan berbagai rangkaian kegiatan berskla internasional tersebut, ARMA mendapat predikat sebagai museum terpopuler dan terbaik di Indonesia menurut para wisatawan sebagaimana dihimpun oleh situs traveling dunia, TripAdvisor.

Berkat perjuangannya untuk melestarikan kesenian, Agung Rai dianugerahi sejumlah penghargaan. Antara lain, tahun 2000 dia dianugerahi penghargaan oleh Pemerintah Indonesia sebagai “Pelopor Memajukan Seni Rupa”. Tahun 2012 dia terpilih sebagai ketua Himusba (Himpunan Museum Bali) 2012-2017. Tahun 2016 “TripAdvisor” menobatkan ARMA sebagai museum terbaik Indonesia. Pilihan ditentukan oleh para wisatawan yang telah mengunjungi berbagai museum di Indonesia.

Buku-buku tentang Agung Rai dan ARMA bisa dibaca dalam “Gung Rai, Kisah Sebuah Museum” (KPG, 2013), “Saraswati in Bali: A Temple, A Museum and A Mas” ( BAB Publishing Indonesia, 2015), “Agung Rai, Sang Mumpuni” (Lestari Kiranatama, 2017).

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anak_Agung_Gde_Rai

Examples of work

Salah Satu Ruang Museum ARMA